Local real estate brokers are optimistic about this year’s housing outlook.

According to a report by the Arkansas Realtors Association (ARA), 2012 was a better year for home sales than 2011. The report listed 821 houses sold in Pope County in 2012, up 8.3 percent from the 758 houses sold in 2011.

ARA reports show 2013 off to a mixed start, with 48 units sold in January, a 100 percent increase from January 2012, which saw only 24 units sold. February, the most recent month for which ARA has provided information, was slightly down compared to last year, with 99 units sold this year and 103 units sold in February 2013.

Despite the mixed start, local agents are optimistic about how the market will progress this year.

“Last year was a better year in the River Valley, and this year I think we’re going to have a little bit better year in the River Valley,” Rich Vander Leest, owner and broker at Coldwell Banker’s James R. Ford and Associates, said.

According to both Vander Leest and Tony Moore, owner and broker at Moore and Co. Realtors, the lower end of the market is stable and is becoming more stable near the upper end of the market as homebuyers with more funds are reemerging.

One of the things that continues to drive home sales, Vander Leest said, is low interest rates.

“Interest rates are still fantastic,” he said.

While rates are currently low, Moore predicted an uptick in mortgage interest rates this summer, which could lead to a temporary slump in sales.

“That will create a pause in buyers waiting on those rates to come back down,” Moore said.

Although Moore said his company has exceeded its first-quarter sales from last year, Vander Leest said the area overall has seen 10 percent fewer units sold in the first three months of the year.

Vander Leest said one possibility that may be holding back sales is the lack of inventory in some price ranges.

“One thing that is a problem in the River Valley and in Arkansas and in the country as a whole, we actually need more inventory to sell,” he said.

Moore, however, said he did not feel the current inventory is tight. Both men agreed they feel the housing market will end above what it was in 2012. Moore said he expected a 12-15 percent increase this year over 2012.

Although the overall outlook is positive, Moore said one negative aspect is the number of foreclosures on the market. He said repossessions are 20-30 percent above the historical five-year average, and he expects to see a continuation of foreclosed properties enter the market this year, which can slow a return to normal market conditions.